First Steps
by AnneOfNarnia
Summary: An ex-soldier from Miraz' army pledges his loyalty to Narnia's new King. Will they overcome their history and expose a conspiracy against Caspian's life? NO SLASH! Please read & review. -Chapter 1 and 2 now edited-
1. First Impressions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Narnia or its characters. They are C.S. Lewis'.**

Drinian, second son of the eight Lord of Owlwood, was nervous. He stood in the ante-chamber of the throne room in the Telmarine castle, waiting to be summoned to appear before King Caspian the Tenth. Surrounding him were a great number of Telmarines who had fought on Miraz' side, but had chosen to stay in Narnia, instead of accepting Aslan's offer to go back to the land of their ancestors.

The doors to the throne room opened and five men came out. Everyone in the ante-chamber looked at them expectantly, but they weren't allowed to speak to anyone; the guards that accompanied them quickly ushered them away through a side door.

The two guards, both fauns, then returned to the double doors that separated the ante-chamber from the throne room and bellowed the names of the next men to appear before the King. When Drinian heard his name being called, he tried to remain calm and confident, but his trembling hands were proof of his failure.

On the throne he approached sat a young man, dressed in red and gold. The colors of ancient Narnia, Drinian knew and his thought was confirmed by the image of a lion on the belt the King wore.

He stopped a few meters before the throne and knelt down, bowing his head. When he looked at the men beside him, he noticed he was the only one doing so. The others remained upright, stances confident and arrogant.

"On your knees for the rightful King of Narnia," The guards shouted while pushing the other men to the ground. But even kneeling, their attitude was one of insubordination, holding their heads high, but avoiding the King's gaze.

"I wish to become acquainted with you, my Lords," The King spoke. "Therefore, tell me who you are." His gaze lingered on the man who was furthest to his left. The man needed to be forced to talk by a nudge from one of the guards.

"I am Lord Oppelle of Beruna," The man said, claiming his right to that title as if he never forfeited it by fighting against his rightful King. The other three men, whom Drinian knew to have served Miraz of their own choosing, not forced to do so as he had, introduced themselves in a similar, insolent way.

"My name is Drinian, Your Majesty," He said when the King looked at him. "I am the second son of Owian, eight Lord of Owlwood under your father's reign." It was a good choice to introduce himself thus, he noticed by the way the King nodded. However, the other Telmarines clearly saw his speech only as a way to curry favour with the new King.

"Why have you decided to stay in Narnia, my Lords?" It sounded like the King was saying previously studied lines. He showed no emotions, and did not ask questions on anything they had said.

The four other Telmarines had the same stories. They didn't want to go an unknown country, didn't care who was on the throne, had a life here...

Drinian felt totally different. He stumbled over his words as he tried to explain. "I've been born here, Your Majesty. I consider Narnia to be my home and I love it with all my heart. When I was a child, my mother used to tell me stories of the old Narnia, of the true Narnians and the Kings and Queens of Old. I longed to live in that world and now I finally have that change, and, with Your Majesty's permission, I would like to live here under your reign."

He understood why the others would think he was bowing and scraping, but Drinian's speech was just a mixture of his true feelings and the courteousness that was drilled into him in his youth.

The King still didn't react to anything the five men had said and continued. "Will you swear a binding oath that you will acknowledge me, King Caspian the Tenth of Narnia, as your King and liege lord; will you swear by your honor to respect and live in peace with the true Narnians and will you promise to abide by the ancient laws of this land?" he asked. It seemed like he had asked this question a lot of times this day and would do so a number of times during the remainder of the day.

The four Telmarines on Drinian's right needed some urging from the guards, but consented, after which they were allowed to stand.

King Caspian repeated his question and then Drinian spoke from the bottom of his heart: "I will, Your Majesty."

"Then rise, Lord Drinian of Owlwood."

Drinian stood up as if he was dreaming. This King, who had been his enemy in battle, was giving him his ancestor's estate! "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The guards wanted to lead them out of the room, but were stopped by King Caspian. "I wish to speak to you some more, Lord Drinian."

Drinian approached the King and stood before his throne, nervous again now he was alone with the King.

"You are the strangest Telmarine I've met so far this day, my Lord, your behavior and your story have surprised me. Why did you kneel for me without any encouragement to do so?"

Drinian wondered if all other Telmarines had needed urging of the guards and was surprised at that. Where was their sense of propriety? "Your Majesty, I was taught to kneel for my King, and since you are the rightful heir to the Narnian throne, I didn't even think about it."

"And yet you joined the usurper's army and fought against the Old Narnia you claim to love." The King seemed disappointed in him or perhaps even angry with him.

Drinian felt ashamed. He did not know what to say. Instead, he bowed his head and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"Answer me, Lord Drinian." The King's face had turned emotionless again.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Drinian searched for the right words. "My father was a harsh man. He was not loyal to King Caspian the Ninth and started supporting Miraz years before he killed the King. His only motive was that by doing so he expected to increase his standing in the kingdom and increase his fortune. That's when he became a member of Miraz' council."

The King listened attentively, but did not interrupt Drinian.

"He took my older brother with him to court when Miraz was crowned King, but I stayed home with my mother, who told me about the Old Narnia and Aslan... and you, Sire. She taught me respect for the true King of Narnia and inspired my love for the creatures that inhabited these lands before the Telmarines conquered it. My father did not know, or he would have forbidden it. He did not interfere with my life, until I reached the age of 16, which was four years ago. I was trained in Miraz' army with my father as direct commander. When your Majesty fled from the castle, the foot soldiers were held ignorant of the reason. We went to battle, not knowing who we would have to fight against. When I found out we were fighting the creatures I so often dreamed of, and that you were their leader, it was already too late."

Drinian knelt again, almost with tears in his eyes. "I know I have to earn the right to be called a Narnian again, that I am no more than a traitor. But I apologize, Your Majesty, for everything that I've done and I beg your forgiveness.

The King rose from his throne, approached Drinian and made him stand once more. He looked him straight in the eyes as he said: "You have my full and free forgiveness, Lord Drinian. But I want you to remember one thing: it is never to late to turn around."

Drinian nodded gratefully, but before they could talk some more, they were interrupted by Lord Trumpkin, King Caspian's chief advisor, who reminded the King that there were many more

Telmarines waiting for their audience with him.

"I am sorry, Lord Drinian. I would have liked to spend some more time with you. Perhaps another time?" The King asked him to stay at court and Drinian assured he would, recognizing the question as the honour that it was.

The guards lead him out of the room into a small chamber apart from the throne room and its ante-chamber. There he found Wentz, first son of Lord Rimaz of Rockbridge, his former comrade-in-arms.

"What do you think of the King?" He immediately asked Drinian.

Knowing a trick question when he was posed one, Drinian answered carefully. "I'm not sure yet. We'll see how it goes."

When Wentz looked around to see who was in earshot and then motioned for Drinian to follow him to a window seat, where they had more privacy, he knew he had been right to be careful with his answer.

**AN:**

**This is an edited version of the story I posted about a year ago. I'll leave chapter 2-5 on for now, so you can read them if you want to, but I'll soon be updating them as well. **

**I hope you like the story. Please REVIEW! :D**

**Love, Anne**


	2. Decisions

**Disclaimer: Narnia and its characters belong to C.S. Lewis, not me.**

The way Wentz lowered his voice when he spoke again, told Drinian clearly that something was amiss.

"We cannot have that boy ruling Narnia," the man whispered urgently. "Look what's happening already. We Telmarines, his own people, are being questioned like a bunch of criminals while these monsters are roaming free across the land."

Drinian tried to hide the shock he felt. He quickly tried to compose an answer. "Then what do you propose?"

"This is hardly the place to discuss that. If you agree, come to my estate in two days time."

The room started filling up more and more, and they could talk no more. Drinian saw Wentz approaching some more men, all of them sons of Lords that had been loyal to Miraz. This could not be happening. How did he come to be in the middle of all this?

Drinian retreated to the chambers that were assigned to him during his stay at court. He sat down at a window and thought hard. What was he going to do? Clearly, Wentz was trying to start some sort of uprising and he could not let that happen. But he could not go to the King without proof.

To Drinian, the way ahead of him soon became clear. It was a dangerous one, but he saw no other option. He would go to Wentz' estate in two days and join the rebels.

There were more men present at the meeting than Drinian would have thought. Ten Telmarine Lords had gathered and although that number was hardly enough for a demonstration, let alone an uprising, together with the small armies they all had at their disposal, they formed a force to be reckoned with.

They all sat down round a table, but as Wentz spoke passionately about why Caspian should not be King, men rose to their feet and shouted their approval, Drinian among them.

"My Lords," Wentz motioned to them all to sit down. "This plan is only going to work if we are all bound to the cause. Therefore, I want you all to sign this paper and give me your word of honor that you will join me in bringing the King down, even if it means your death."

There was a slight tremor in Drinian's hand as he signed his name. This was going further than he had imagined. To align himself with the King now would mean he had to break his word of honor. The one right thing his father had thought him that when a man's honor was lost, he had lost it all.

But he could not back out now. He had heard their plans and the men would not be forgiving to one who left their cause now. Therefore he solemnly vowed that it was now his first and foremost duty to see the King dethroned and a true Telmarine placed upon it.

The next week was filled with heated discussions about how to proceed. Some wanted to go back to the Telmarine castle and try to win more men for their cause, while others found that too dangerous. The one who didn't think so pointed out that planning an assault on their King with only ten Lords was ridiculous. Every night, the sunset brought an end to the discussions, but no solutions.

Drinian had only been granted a week's leave from court, so he left the gathering to rejoin King Caspian. When he was about to leave, Wentz came up to him in the courtyard.

"Drinian, I have a favour to ask of you before you leave." Wentz was a stout supporter of them all going back to court.

"Anything, my friend," Drinian added to the lies he had told these past days.

"I know we haven't agreed upon anything yet, but try to sample the mood at court. See who might be interested in joining our cause and if you trust them enough, send them here."

"Is that prudent?"

Wentz half-smiled. "Who said anything was prudent about trying to assassinate a King?"

His so-called friend's mirth at the situation aggravated Drinian beyond anything, but he chuckled dutifully. "I'll see what I can do," he promised and rode away.

Drinian's mind was occupied during the entire length of the two-hour ride. His situation was impossible. He'd sworn two vows on his honour that contradicted each other. He had promised to help kill the King he had sworn to serve. He was going to have to break his word to one of the parties. In choosing the King's side he'd betray his friends and his father. In aligning with the rebels, he'd commit treason and deny himself.

Thoughts were still swirling around when he reached the gates of Caspian's castle. He gave his name to the guards on duty.

"Lord Drinian? The King wants you to join him as soon as you may."

"I will."

He had planned to ask a meeting in secret, so Wentz' spies wouldn't notice, but if the King asked for a meeting himself, there was nothing suspicious about it.

The guards at the double doors of the throne room had been given the same instructions, for they admitted Drinian as soon as he mentioned his name.

The King was sitting in council. At his left hand was a dwarf, whom Drinian had heard mentioned as Trumpkin. At the King's right stood a gigantic centaur, two long swords at his belt. Drinian was taken aback at the look of him. Not because he'd never seen a centaur, but because he had seen this particular men-horse before.

The centaur had looked up when Drinian entered the room. As soon as he spotted the Telmarine Lord, a hostile expression covered his face. Drinian could not think of a reason why that would we, he could not remember where he'd seen the centaur before.

He knelt before his King, eyes to the ground as he realized the man could have him hanged for treason if he knew what he'd been doing the past week.

"Rise, my Lord Drinian." And when he did: "Would you join us?"

King Caspian proceeded to introduce the others around the table. There was a badger called Trufflehunter, a squirrel called Pattertwig, dr. Cornelius: the half-dwarf who had been the King's tutor and of course the mouse Reepicheep. Drinian was surprised to see a Telmarine boy sitting among them as well, who could not be older than Caspian himself. It was Perci, son of Lord Rhoop, who had been sent over the seas by the usurper Miraz. Even if everyone considered his sire to be dead by now, he did not style himself Lord of Dancing Lawn.

The centaur appeared to be Caspian's general and was called Glenstorm. A part of Drinian's mind was trying to fit together the pieces of the mystery of the centaur, while another part tried to focus on the matter at hand: the proper housing for all creatures.

Suddenly the shells fell from his eyes and Drinian saw what had been staring him in the face all the time. He could see the images of that day as clearly as if it had been yesterday.

_Drinian marched forwards, together with his brothers in arms. His father was in command of his unit and had just revealed to them teir enemy. Drinian was shocked. He had to fight Old Narnia, the Narnia he loved and wanted to be a part of. But his father wasn't a man to defy and he obeyed._

_It was one of the first confrontations of the war. The Narnians ran towards them while the Telmarines stayed in battle-array. In front there was a young man, whom he now knew to be King Caspian. Besides him was a centaur, who had his two swords drawn, ready to kill a man with every blow. _

_The centaur jumped over the first row of Telmarines and flung himself on the men, who were confused and also attacked from the other sides by King Caspian and the other Narnians. _

_Drinian swung around with his sword and hit the centaur in the thigh. Upon being attacked, Glenstorm looked around and fought him with enough intensity that Drinian would have been killed, were it not that King Caspian ordered his army to retreat before he could sustain any critical damage. _

That's how he knew this Glenstorm. Seeing the face of the centaur, he knew the general remembered as well. Drinian's eyes fell on a scar on the centaur's chest. He remembered how it got there.

_One of Drinian's fellow's had noticed that the centaur was set on killing him and came to his aid. He was a young footsoldier, called Rogel. Glenstorm seemed to have no trouble fighting both of them at the same time and that was the only reason that they lived. But at one point in the fight, Rogel demanded the centaurs full attention. Their opponent seemed to realize that fighting two men at them same time was not going to finish this fight and he turned to Rogel, stretched his arms to both sides and let the swords collide with Rogel's body. There was nothing Drinian could do to prevent them going straight through. _

_Glenstorm now turned himself to Drinian, who was enraged by this cruel slaughter of his fellow soldier. Drinian lifted his sword above his head and fiercely attacked. He hit the centaur in the chest, but his sword was stopped by the immense bone structure that was so characterizing for centaurs. Then the retreat signal was given by Prince Caspian. The centaur looked around for a fraction of a second, then returned his gaze to Drinian. His desire to kill was overruled by the command given. The centaur turned around and galloped away._

His train of thought was suddenly interrupted. "Lord Drinian, is anything the matter? You are very silent." King Caspian fixed a inquiring gaze on him.

"I apologize if I appeared uninterested, Your Majesty." He hesitated. Was this the moment to tell? He looked quickly at Perci. The boy was young, but given his lineage, he could be trusted. Not that Drinian was one to speak on that score, being sired by a traitor.

His hesitation did not go unnoticed. The other councilors looked at him now as well. Drinian looked around the circle and finally fixed his gaze on the King.

"I know of a plot to dethrone and kill Your Majesty."

**Editing has suddenly turned to a complete rewrite :P Therefore I've taken down the other chapters, because they do not make much sense now anymore.**

**Please review, I'd love to hear what you think!**

**Love, Anne**


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